Process of treating surgical articles.



No. 819,883. PATENTED MAY 1, 1906. A. V; M. SPRAGUE. PROCESS OF TREATINGSURGICAL ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8, 1904.

2 SHBETSSHEET 1.

A; v. M. SPRAGUE'. PROCESS OF TREATING SURGICAL ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 ATTORNEYS PATENTED MAY 1, 150%.

UNITED STATES AUSTIN V. M. SPRAGUE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PATENT OFFICE.

PROCESS .OF TREATING SURQICAL ARTICLES.

A No. 819,383.

following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and

to characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

My invention is a novel method useful par- I ticularly in the art ofasepticizing surgical dressings, &c.

My invention consists in placingthe articles to be treated in anair-tight chamber, sealingup the chamber with the articles in closedtherein, then exhausting the chamber, and then permitting externalpressure to force a gaseous fluid against an asepticizing or othermedium ca able of mixing therewith and impel said fluid laden or chargedwith said medium or increments thereof into said chamber and into thearticles. I prefer to carry the exhaustion of the operating-cham ber tothe condition of as perfect a vacuum as maybe, so as to give the greaterimpetus to the incoming charged fluid when the chamber is opened theretoand to reduce, as far as possible, the impediment to the completepenetration of the article by said fluid.

I will explain my method in detail with reference to an asepticizingapparatus in connection with which it may be performed. In theaccompanying drawings 1 show one form of such apparatus.

Figure 1 is a front view, partly broken away; Fig. 2, a view partly inside elevation and partly in vertical section, and Fig. 3 a side View ofan exhaust-pump.

In the drawings, a is the operating-chamber or receiver. This isprovided with a hinged door I), which is held with an air-tight fitagainst its seat by a ring 0, provided with an operating means d andhaving a threaded engagement with the mouth portion e of said chamber,all as and for the purposes indiin my United States Letters Patent N 0.583,514. The chamber a has a pedestal f, which rests on a table 9.

Leading from chamber a, is a pipe h, which at i divides, one branch j,provided with a cut-off valve is, leading to an exhaust-pump ZSpgcification of Letters Patent. Application filed November 8. 1904.Serial No. 231,838,

- Patented May 1, 1906.

and the other branch m to the top of the dome n of aclosed receptacle 0,resting on a shelf 1) of tableg. The pump is of well-known constructionand comprises a cylinder q, a piston r, a check-valve s, preventingcommunication from said cylinder to pipe 7', a discharge t, and acheck-valve u, preventing atmospheric access to said cylinder.

Receptacle 0 forms part of a tubular conducting means between theatmosphere and the chamber or receiver a, other parts of which are pipeh, branch pipe m, a pipe 12,

which has abut-off valve/w, and a filter-nozzle 90, containing somematerial, such as cotton. (See my United States Letters Patent No.671,499.) Pipe m has a cut-off valve y.

z is apressure-gage on the chamber a, 2 a

filling-funnel for receptacle 0, and 3 a liquidlevel gage onreceptacle0.

The substance laced in receptacle '0 is preferably a liquid which bynature is both volatilizable under agitation and a germicide. Theordinary formalin solution of commerce (forty per cent.) well serves thepurpose.

The articles to be treated are first placed in chamber a and the doorthen closed and sealed up tight. The pum is now operated toexhaust-chamber'a, va ve 7:: being open and valves 1 and in closed. Thedesired state of exhaustion being efiected by the pump, valve 7c isclosed and valves y and w opened. Air under atmospheric pressure nowenters pipe v through its filter-nozzle and enters receptacle 0, whereit produces ebullition of the liquid therein contained and, passingthrough it,'carries along with it the products of such ebullition. Thusmore or less charged with increments of the product of the liquid inreceptacle 0 the air enters the chamber a, where the articles thereincontained in vacuo are asepticized. Thereupon the vacuum being nowdestroyed the chamber a may be opened and the articles removed.

This treatment may be repeated one or more times, and it is preferablethat the goods be left under the influence each time of the germicidefor about twenty to thirty minutes.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The method of treating penetrable articles whereby to render themaseptic which consists in inclosing them in a fluid-tight chamber,producing a substantially perfect vacuum in said chamber, and thenprecipitatelypermitting an external gaseous fluid to impel itselfagainst, charge itself with and convey along with it into said chamber,an asepticizin medium mixable with said fluid, substantial y asdescribed.

2. The herein-described method of treating surgical articles consistingin inclosing the articles to be treated in a vacuum-chamber, thenexhausting said chamber, and then causing atmospheric pressure to impela gaseous fluid against, and convey along with it into said chamber, anase ticizin medium mixable with said fluid, su stantia ly as described.

3. The herein-described method, of treating surgical articles consistingin inclosing the articles to be treated in a closed chamber and causingexternal pressure to impel a fluid against, and to thus induceebullition in, a liquid, and to then cause said fluid to convey alongwith it into said chamber increments of the product of such ebullition,substantially as described.

4. The herein-described method of treating surgical articles consistingin inclosing the articles to be treated in a closed chamber and causingexternal pressure to impel a fluid against, and to thus induceebullition in, a liquid, and to then cause said fluid to mix itselfwith, and convey along with it into said chamber, increments of theproduct of such ebullition, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this2d day of November, 1904.

AUSTIN V. M. SPRAGUE.

Witnesses:

WM. G. GRAMM, GEORGE LAW.

